Jnnfri asks…Do I have to be worried about the dyes in toothpastes attributing to tooth discoloration?
The Right Brain’s toothless grin:
Relax, Jnn, toothpastes are not the enemy of white teeth. There are many things that are worse! So before we talk about toothpaste dyes, lets talk about what really causes dark stains.
Tooth terrors
Animated Teeth has a nice discussion about the real culprits that cause darkened teeth: years of exposure to chromogenic agents such as tea, coffee, colas, tobacco products. Food residues can also cause staining and some medicines also contribute to the problem. If you want even more information to chew on you can check out this highly detailed article from Dr. Ross Kerr, DDS that expands further on the causes of tooth discoloration by explaining tooth structure and the chemistry of the staining materials.
So what about toothpastes?
We did a quick survey of toothpaste dyes and found that Blue 1, Red 30 and Yellow 5 are commonly used in products like Crest, Colgate, Arm and Hammer and Mentadent. We couldn’t find any references indicating that these dyes change the color of the teeth. That’s not surprising since these dyes are 1) very water soluble (so they rinse away easily); 2) are used at very low levels in toothpastes, and 3) are only in contact with your teeth for a very short period of time before they are rinsed away. We also confirmed that the American Dental Association allows the use of these dyes in whitening toothpastes.
The Beauty Brains bottom line
There doesn’t appear to be cause for concern about staining your teeth with toothpaste. But if you’re still skeptical, feel free to use a whitening toothpaste that doesn’t contain any dyes. There are plenty of those on the market as well (like Ultra Brite Advanced Whitening Fluoride Toothpaste and Sensodyne Toothpaste for Sensitive Teeth, Extra Whitening.)
Does anyone have a favorite tooth whitening product they’d like to share? Leave a comment for the rest of the Beauty Brains community.
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{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
Lots of people have complained about cetylpyridinium chloride, the active ingredient in Crest Pro Health mouthwash, turning their teeth brown. I’ve tried both the original blue product and their new clear version–both leave brown marks on my teeth–gross! Why is this happening? And is it true that the active ingredient is an animal byproduct?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cetylpyridinium_chloride
I tried whitening toothpaste and it left my teeth less white and shiny than before. I went back to regular toothpaste but always wondered if there were decent whitening ones out there. Maybe I will check out the ones without dye, thanks.
Maybe you could’ve mentioned dental products that DO stain teeth. You can find reviews all over Amazon.com and drugstore.com claiming alcohol-free mouthwash products that contain Cetylpyridinium Chloride have stained their teeth, Wikipedia briefly mentions the same allegations.
IF this is true, I’m wondering how products like Crest Pro-Health are still out there, considering that not too many people I know find brown-stained teeth to be what they’re after.
Lol! Maybe next time I should read the comments before I make a comment. xD Thanks Jenni!
Also, funny how Crest sells a product that might stain teeth brown, and they’re one of the top sellers of teeth whitening products. Coincidence?
hey man, awesome post, I really enjoyed the read. Keep up the good work man, if you keep up posts like this your blog will be a hit in no time
BTW, I was reading another blog and this guy seemed to have your style… is this another of your blogs? Teeth Bleaching
Anyway, thanks for the read, I’ll be back soon
The ingredient that causes staining is actually stannous fluoride (verified on Crest’s webpage and from my lecture notes in dental school) which is more effective than sodium fluoride in terms of preventing cavities and plauque and calculus (tartar) buildup (which is why they’re using it)
The product contains sodium hexametaphosphate to counteract this staining and silica to help abrade any superficial stains but results vary. I have also noticed that people have more issues with the staining when they use the rinse as opposed to the toothpaste. I don’t know why this would be or if my observation is distorted, however.